We Got Rhythm! By Ellen Ritscher Sackett with Ann Geiler

Photos: Courtesy of the St. Louis Area Alumni chapter

THEY GOTRhythm!

THEY GOTRhythm!

Kindergarten students from Danforth Elementary School enjoy their new rhythm instruments.

BY ELLEN RITSCHER SACKETT WITH ANN GEILER

The St. Louis Area Alumni chapter makes thousands of homemade percussion instruments for children

ast fall, the St. Louis Area Alumni of Mu Phi Epsilon discovered a need — rhythm instruments for underserved communities and special needs institutions. “I was on Facebook, and a general music teacher showed a picture of instruments she was making because students could not share instruments with each other,” says Ann Geiler, Phi Theta, president of the St. Louis Area Alumni chapter. Before the pandemic, children could shake, rattle, and play along with the music using percussion instruments during class and swapping with other students, but because of touch-point issues and safety protocols due to COVID-19, this activity had to be put on hold.

Geiler saw this need to provide percussive instruments to each child as an opportunity for the chapter to get involved. She reached out to some colleagues to see if they, too, were interested. “They jumped at the opportunity,” she says. Geiler then made a proposal to the chapter to see who would support the project and help make instruments. She says, “It was approved, and we were off!”

“I researched making rhythm instruments on the internet, and then started pricing and checking the availability of materials,” Geiler says. “A few of the instruments went through transformations due to the availability of supplies or figuring out they could be used another way.” Many of the instruments were “trial and error,” Geiler says, and some were created from directions that she found on the internet. “Many members did not want to get together to craft, so Vice President Linda McNair and I made kits with the supplies and directions and delivered them to members

Photos: Courtesy of the St. Louis Area Alumni chapter

Second graders from Danforth Elementary School make music with rhythm instruments made by the St. Louis Area Alumni chapter.

These rhythm instruments were donated to Ferguson Florissant School District for its pre-school program. so they could work at home.” Eight of the 25-member chapter participated in the actual crafting of the instruments, while many of the other members donated the necessary funds to purchase the supplies.

During the course of the fall and winter, the crafter members made a whopping 4,000 rhythm instruments, which they gave to more than 20 organizations in total: two early childhood music programs, including one through the St. Louis Symphony; Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, which serves children with life-threatening illnesses; a senior citizen home; a music therapy program; an after-school program; and 15 elementary school program. Geiler contacted each institution to find out what instruments they could use and how many. “We did not limit the number of instruments or how many we gave each group,” she says.

“The institutions had the choice of the following instruments: jingle bell strips, shaker eggs, maracas, washer cymbals, two-lid cymbals, one lid and beater to make a drum, and pool noodle sand blocks,” Geiler says. Maracas were made from spoons, plastic eggs and rice, and sand blocks were created from recycled pool noodles. Shaker bottles were filled with craft rice and glued shut, and they sent stickers along so that each individual could decorate their own bottle.

The St. Louis Area Alumni chapter partnered with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Volunteer Association (SVA) to provide

From left to right: Elaine Repking, Beta Iota; Ann Geiler, Phi Theta; and Daniel Shavers, Epsilon Tau, show off their homemade instruments that are ready to go.

Photos: Courtesy of the St. Louis Area Alumni chapter

Linda McNair, Omega Omega; Ann Geiler, Phi Theta; and Sarah Ruddy, coordinator for the pre-school program for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO), deliver instrument kits to Powell Hall, home of the SLSO.

A close-up view of some of the rhythm instruments made by the St. Louis Area Alumni chapter.

take-home instrument packages for children who participate in “Symphony In Your School-Junior,” the organization’s pre-K early childhood outreach program. The St. Louis Area Alumni chapter provided 200 hundred instrument kits for the collaborative effort that included sand blocks, jingle bell strips, maracas, lids and beaters. The program coordinator commented, “This is amazing! Thank you so much for doing this — and so quickly! I can’t wait to get the kids making music with these kits!” SVA created additional types of instruments: sewn bean bags filled with rice or beans, and tin cans that could be transformed into a drum or guiro, with notches, that when scraped make a rachet sound. They also provided handmade scarves for the children to dance with, according to an article that was published in the January 21, 2021, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra newsletter.

The St. Louis Area Alumni chapter received many notes of appreciation from various teachers from the different schools. “Thank you so much for the pool noodles sand blocks. I have been using them with my special population, and they love them,” said Janet Harding, a teacher from Ostmann Elementary School. Stephanie Engelmeyer, a teacher at Moline Elementary School, wrote Geiler: “I really appreciate all the work you and the Fraternity have gone through to help my students,” she said. “Thanks for this opportunity. It is an amazing gift.”

To find out more about how your chapter can make homemade instruments, contact Ann Geiler at stlalumnimpe@gmail.com. Make Your Own Spoon Maracas

Make Your Own Maraca

Plastic egg Popcorn kernels (unpopped) or rice (uncooked) 2 plastic spoons Masking tape (colored) Glue

Fill the egg 1/2 way with popcorn or rice. Glue the two egg halves together Put the egg between the spoons Wrap tape around the spoons, both at the bottom and at the top, and around both the spoons and egg.

You now have a colorful maraca to shake to the rhythm of your favorite song!